Friday, 14 September 2012

Bora Aksu Spring/ Summer '13

There’s a reason
why Bora Aksu is one of the most watched designers emerging from London today. Adhering
strictly to Louise Wilson’s, the fearsome head of the MA programme at Central
St Martins, from which Aksu graduated in 2002, central mantra against
derivativeness, this season the Turkish designer has produced yet another
starkly original collection to add to his impressive legacy.

Describing his
work as ‘demi-couture’, for Spring/ Summer 13 Aksu has produced a collection which
focuses upon the point at which sweet romanticism collides with a darker edge;
he calls upon Queen Marie of Romania, the grand-daughter of Queen Victoria, to be
his central muse. Torn from her British roots by her marriage to Ferdinand of
Romania, Queen Maria embraced Romanian culture and traditions whilst still
maintaining her quintessential Englishness. This can be witnessed literally
through Aksu’s frequent depiction of traditionally shaped, gauzy puffed sleeves
and heavier dirndl skirts in the collection, and more metaphorically with his melding
of fabric and prints.

The layering of tulle over cotton and silk
embossed with abstract prints give an ephemeral, trompe l’oeil effect to the
garments, speaking of a life full of uncertainties and layered with different
experiences. In fact, the meaning of the
repeated print flows with the bias cut fabrics; occasionally floral, sometimes
almost artery-like as it curves with the models’ bodies, it ties a sense of
displacement in with a distinct celebration of the ornate and beautiful.

Apart from the
inspiration aspect of this collection, Aksu additionally displays an innovative
approach to cut, utilising the build-up of the aforementioned separate layers to
combine into translucent silken waterfalls of dresses, ideal for summer
wafting. Furthermore, inserts of ruched chiffon brought low-key dynamism and
shaping to some dresses, whereas shots of embroidered collars, lapels, belts
and the occasional knitted vest grounded others sections of the collection.

The last thing to
mention is, of course, the crocheted crowns worn by each model that strutted
down the catwalk. Made by Aksu to compliment the inspiration behind the Spring/
Summer ’13 collection, they were the perfect, unique accessorised the romantic
but yet slightly gothic feel to the clothes on display. As always, Bora Aksu is
anything but derivative.